Overview
- Yellow warnings for snow and ice now cover large parts of the UK from Tuesday through Thursday, extending to Northern Ireland, much of Scotland, northern and southwest England, and Wales, with additional ice alerts for many English regions from midnight.
- Forecasters say the coldest spell will be Wednesday to Friday, with overnight lows near -5C in parts of England and down to around -10C to -11C in rural Scotland, and a significant wind chill in strong northerly winds.
- Snow is expected to be highly variable, with 2–5 cm possible in some low-lying areas, 5–10 cm on hills, and locally 15–25 cm on higher ground such as the North York Moors and parts of the Yorkshire Wolds, alongside a persistent risk of ice.
- Early impacts include snow in parts of Scotland and North Yorkshire, road ploughing reported by Bear Scotland, ferry cancellations on CalMac routes, and travel cautions from ScotRail, with warnings highlighting possible slips, transport delays, and isolated power cuts.
- Public advice urges preparation and caution, including warm clothing, an ice scraper and an in‑car phone charger for drivers, broader emergency kits recommended by the RAC, leaving extra time, sticking to treated routes, and checking on older people and those with health conditions as alerts may be updated.